Since 2008, the rise in unemployment figures has included a significant increase in the number of job seekers aged 50 or over. In 2015, in Paris and its three adjoining departments, these jobseekers numbered 146,000, of which 52,000 were in Paris; they represented almost 25% of job seekers as opposed to 17% – 18% at the end of 2008. On one hand the state is encouraging people to postpone their retirement until later, on the other businesses are reducing their staffing levels, targeting their senior employees first because they earn the highest salaries as a result of their experience and length of service. Caught in an ever-worsening position, a growing number of employees aged 50 or over are finding themselves out of work for longer and longer periods. This group is characterised by having very varied qualifications and by being very isolated professionally, and within their social and family environment.
The state has put a number of schemes in place to make it easier for them to find employment and to stay in work and complementary initiatives have also been taken by local authorities. The examples analysed concerning Plaine Commune, Est Ensemble, Paris and Rosny-sous-bois in the centre of the Grand Paris Metropolis, show that policies falling into three broad categories have been implemented. Local authorities for their part are working on activating the network of territorial key players, prioritising approaches tailored to the individual such as mentoring and coaching, and being proactive with businesses and key economic players.
